Sick Days
by AkiraSesshoumaruMalfoy
Summary: A drabble concerning our favourite band of Profilers because they can't be healthy all the time. Allusions to: Morgan/Reid  if you squint really really really hard ; minor character death. Nothing detailed.


Title: _Sick Days_

Rating: K

Genre: General/Friendship

Summary: A drabble concerning our favourite band of Profilers because they can't be healthy _all_ the time. Allusions to: Morgan/Reid; minor character death. Nothing detailed.

Word Count: 651

Derek Morgan walked through the doors of the BAU offices and immediately was descended on by Hotch.

"We have a case," the man said, lips pursed, eyes tired. Morgan nodded, following the older man to the conference room where Prentiss, Rossi and Garcia were already sat around the table, reading the case files.

He sat down and noticed the spare seat beside him.

"Reid can't come in today Hotch," Morgan said calmly, tone belying none of what he was thinking. That wouldn't be a good thing. Prentiss, Rossi and Garcia looked at him quizzically; Hotch was trying to glare him through the floor and straight to hell.

"And why haven't I heard this from him?" Hotch asked bitterly. The case was very important and he needed his whole team.

"I went around to his this morning to pick him up," Morgan started, eying Hotch warily, "he could barely answer the door...you could see the clogs of his brain trying to work through the stuffing," he let a small smile slip.

Hotch turned his eyes to the desk, fingers tapping on the wooden table as he thought about how to handle this.

"Fi-"

"Why were you at his this morning?" Prentiss asked, suggestion in her eyes, on her lips, in her words. Morgan regarded her with a lady killer smile, which she scoffed at.

"His car's had it, at the mechanic's since last week...I've been giving him lifts-"

"Even though his place is 5 miles out of your way?" Rossi asked, raising an eyebrow. Morgan shrugged, aware Hotch was gaping like a fish out of water.

"He needs help, I help him, friends do that," Morgan stated nonchalantly. Garcia was about to say something when Hotch cleared his throat. All four looked at him like children being caught doing something they're not supposed to.

"I don't care about what Morgan does for Reid when they leave this office, all I care about right now is that five people have been poisoned and have dropped dead in the middle of the street and finding the person or people's who've done it." Hotch glared at them all, body shaking with suppressed anger.

They all looked appropriately ashamed. Rossi stood up and walked around to Hotch, gesturing for the man to follow him. Hotch was about to refuse, but Rossi gave him a look that said following him wasn't optional.

Hotch left the room and Morgan became the victim of relentless questioning by Garcia and Prentiss.

"Aaron, what's going on?" Rossi asked when they got to his office. Hotch sighed, leaning against Rossi's desk. Rossi stood facing him, brow creased. He was worried; Hotch was never this agitated. Being a single parent was a daunting task, he understood that, and losing Haley wasn't exactly a piece of cake. But Hotch seemed to be holding up okay until now.

"Nightmares," Hotch replied tiredly, exhaustion written all over him.

"About..." Rossi let the word hang in the air. They both knew what the nightmares were about.

"How about you take a break from this one-"

"I can't do that, we're already one man down," Hotch cut in. Rossi shook his head.

"Prentiss, Morgan and Garcia are good agents, Aaron," Rossi placed his hands on Hotch's shoulders, forcing the man to look at him. "We can handle this one without you in this shape. Go home to your son, take a nap, sleep a while, rest for the day and if we _really_ need you, we'll call." It was best to make Hotch think he could work rather than force him to go cold turkey.

"But you have to rest, Aaron, you're no use to the team as you are." With that Rossi went back into the conference room.

Hotch took Rossi's advice and called up sick. When he got back to his home, Jack and Haley's sister playing, he realised that yes, he needed a break.

***FIN

AN: I felt that was a good spot to leave it =) Reviews are always welcome from loyal readers. I find the hardest thing with CM fiction is getting the characters to sound right...so I hope I did that.


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